Office wear/ Clothing in Mumbai and Monsoon!

Hi Everyone!

I will be travelling to Mumbai for 2-3 months from July/August this year, with my Australian company to assist in setting up a new call centre. I am just wondering if anyone has any advice on what is best/suitable to wear in the office? It is an American outsourcing company, but i'm assuming majority of the employees will be Indian, and I want to be as comfortable as possible. I am thinking of just trousers and shirts, but how fitted is going to be considered too tight?

I am 21 years old, average build and fair complexion.

I am aware it is monsoon season also, and am wondering if there is anything I should bring to prepare for this? (apart from the obvious raincoat and umbrella )

One last question.. I have been advised that a woman with Blonde/Fair hair will receive a greater amount of unwelcome attention from Men not specifically at work, but just on te streets, and a few people have recommended that I temporarily dye it brown for the trip... Would you say this is correct and worth doing, or just an old wives tale?

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

The kind of costumes you are thinking of are abosolutely ok.

by and large Mumbai doesn't bl**dy care about complexion, nationality etc. The reason is, people are seeing a lot of foreigners and most importantly, no one is having time to worry about. They all on a mad rush to catch the next train

leave your hair alone...

monsoon....it's messy in Mumbai. You'll know once you hit the streets on mumbai during rain. But then it's only a question of a few days to find the rythem of this city.

Its going to be so hot and humid that well fitted would not be an issue since you would want to wear something loose and comfortable. Trousers, Skirts... basically anything you would wear in Australia would be fine here...I guess.. keeping the weather in mind of course.
You might want to invest in a pair of rain boots to help you negotiate through the puddles.
Blonde hair should not be a problem at all.

Hi, Just a female perspective - don't dye your hair!
Mumbai is I think the most liberal place in India where anything goes!! That said, you will get some looks, so I would err on the conservative side where dress is concerned at the office. Especially as you want to appear professional, and considering your age, I have found some Indian men take younger women not as seriously as I would like in the work place. Before I moved to India, I was briefed by others (NRIs and expats) in my line of work not to wear trousers that would reveal too much arse! Seems midriffs are ok ala saris but arses are not. So, I don't wear tight tops to work and wear my office shirts tucked out. And resist the urge to "go native" at the office, all the Indians in my office think this those that have just landed up that do are quite ridiculous indeed.
Monsoon is a mess, get some good sturdy shoes that you can get mucky and carry a pair to change into; hopefully you can get up to one of the hill stations on the weekend and escape! Good luck

Hi,

The monsoons in Mumbai are something that is difficult to imagine for a person not used to monsoons.. There are usually a couple of days when the traffic comes to an ABSOLUTE standstill.. and here absolute really means ABSOLUTE. Trains stop running.. traffic stops moving for several hours.. with instances where the office goers get caught all night in the city.. and cannot make it back home.

So essentially what you would certainly need for the monsoons is at least 2-3 sets of relatively old clothes.. one or two raincoats.. and a couple of old shoes..

and remember it is perfectly alright to wear the dirtiest old shoes that you can imagine... I am from New Delhi, where I think people generally dress up smartly.. and during the monsoons, I used to see people ( mid-level mangaers in large companies ) wearing shoes that I would not be caught dead..


As regards to being blonde.. while you could get unwelcome attention any where in the world.. I guess in Mumbai you would be quite alright.

Am born and brought up in Mumbai.... and LOVE the monsoon!!

Commuting can be absolutely frustrating in the monsoon. Ask your employers to put you up in a residence or Hotel near enough your place of work. Such that you can catch an auto-rickshaw and reach your workplace in 20 mins. Then again, depends on the location of your work place. Some people in Mumbai find their car floating in four feet of water at certain junctions on certain "heavy downpour" days.

Most Mumbai people simply take a break, get into their shorts and GET WET on such days. Its fun. NOBODY goes to work cuz all the trains are shut down. If the trains are shut down, it means MUMBAI is shut down!!

No need to dye your hair (now that's going to an extreme) Mumbaiites have probably seen enough blondes in Hollywood movies.

Tight fitting clothes (and short skirts) could be a problem, Some thinng with is seen as being appropriate in the western (or Down Under)world may be considered scandalous in India. (and something appropriate in India would be considered risque say in Saudi) Thats becuase these standards are subjective and relative. Your best bet, if you are up for it, would be to purchase indian clothes after the first few days at the office (check out what your co-workers are wearing) and blend. I am sure that will help break the ice too.

Well said crvlvr.

Best is to take a pair of very formal for serious meetings. Then buy all that for regular day to day use, in local markets. No need to dye your hair. But then it is only 2 to 3 months. So, anything will be OK except for the ones revealing.